1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to electronic transmission of certain predetermined data from a consumer to a merchant for the purpose of conducting trade. The data transmitted from the consumer to the merchant is an electronic order-specific for that consumer to that merchant or a pre-determined means of payment.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cashless sales transactions are relatively old, as evidenced by rather well-developed bartering and/or swapping systems in many pre-capitalist or pre-market economies. These economies are considered to have relied on tradition, top-down command, or community democracy instead of market exchange organized primarily through bartering systems. Relations of reciprocity and/or redistribution substituted for market exchange. Trade and barter were primarily reserved for trade between communities or countries. Bartering systems were also used when the monetary system failed to measure the economic value of goods. Regulated monetary systems, however, came to the forefront and provided a more reliable value of goods and services. As a result, regulated monetary systems now predominate over the art for transacting sales in Western societies. Whereas cashless sales transactions may be viewed as relatively old, electronic means for transacting sales are relatively new phenomena. Certain systems and methods for electronically transacting sales and the like are set forth briefly hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,415,156 ('156 Patent), which issued to Stadelmann, discloses a Transaction Method. The '156 Patent teaches a transaction method for ordering goods or services by mobile telephone, an order for delivery being transmitted to the services provider via a mobile radio network. At least certain order data, in which at least a monetary amount is indicated, are packed in one or more SMS or USSD or e-mail short messages, and are transmitted to a validation platform connected to a short message service center. The indicated monetary amount is deducted from a monetary account of the customer and is transferred to a monetary account of the services provider.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,636,837 ('837 Patent), which issued to Nardozzi et al., discloses a Method and Apparatus for Ordering Photofinishing Services. The '837 Patent teaches a method, system and apparatus for displaying photofinishing goods and/or services that are being offered for sale. An apparatus is provided which includes a display device for displaying photofinishing goods and/or services that are being offered for sale and a computer for controlling what is displayed on the display device. A computer software program is also provided for programming the computer so that a plurality of the photofinishing goods and/or services will be displayed on the display device and for program monitoring the sales the photofinishing goods. The system allows for the remote reprogramming of the computer for modifying and or re-arranging the position of the photofinishing goods and/or services on the display device.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,435 ('8,435 Patent), which issued to Will et al., discloses Electronic Ordering of Goods with Delivery by Automatic Drive-up Storage Device. The '435 Patent teaches a method and apparatus for the order and delivery of goods in which the goods are transported to one or more storage containers that are maintained in a drive-up storage, retrieval, and dispensing mechanism. Goods are ordered via the Internet, telephone, or other electronic method, retrieved from a warehouse or store, and transported to the storage container by truck or by a regional train system designed for passenger use. The storage container accepts packages, which are placed into a plastic storage box and moved by an elevator assembly to a particular storage bin located in a matrix of bins arranged in columns and rows. When a customer arrives to pick up a package, he or she drives up to the device and communicates with the system via a keypad and display screen to identify the order and present appropriate identification of the person or other means of maintaining security. A computer verifies the identification and retrieves the storage box, presenting it to the window of the vehicle driving up at an appropriate height so that the customer can retrieve the package. The use of a handheld wireless device by the customer can aid in ordering, checking order status, obtaining directions, providing identification, and retrieving the order.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,272 ('272 Patent), which issued to Zilliacus et al., discloses a System and Method of Secure Payment and Delivery of Goods and Services. The '272 Patent teaches a system, method and computer program for ordering, paying for and delivering goods and services from a content provider to a user which assures the content provider that he will be paid and that assures the user that he will receive the content at an agreed upon price. Thus, this system, method and computer program facilitates business transactions occurring between parties who do not know each other by using a trusted third party to either take the user's order, deliver to the user's order, and/or bill the user the correct amount for the goods and services contracted for. This system, method and computer program relies on the Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications system to authenticate the user and provide algorithms and modules that are used to generate cipher keys and service responses so as to insure the content provider will be paid and that the user will not be overcharged. Further, these algorithms and modules are used to encrypt important information so as to prevent third parties from intercepting this important information. Five business model modules are detailed with numerous variations possible to accomplish the task of facilitating business transactions between parties that do not necessarily know or trust each other.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,435 ('3,435 Patent), which issued to Sioufi et al., discloses a Method and System for Ordering Services or Products, Including Prescriptions. The '3,435 Patent teaches a method and system for transmitting information included in a memory device to a remote location. The information included in the memory device could take the form of patient information as well as a prescription dosages and the remote location could be a pharmacy or a physician's office. The memory device could be fixedly attached to a drug container and a linker module would read the information contained in the memory device and automatically contact a pharmacy located at a remote location to fill a particular prescription. Information relating to the patient or the prescription which is filled can also be transferred from the remote location directly into the memory device through the linker module. In addition, the method and system can be used to order or purchase any products or services from a vendor.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0032191 which was authored by Choi et al., describes a method of paying an electronic settlement in an electronic commerce by assigning a payment settlement agency between a payer and a payee. The method includes a first step of the payer obtaining an electronic catalog from the payee through Internet; a second step of the payer approving an access of a payer's bank account by a payment settlement agency server; a third step of the payer ordering goods to a payee server and paying a settlement through of the payment settlement agency; a fourth step of the payment settlement agency server providing confirmation of an effect of transaction between the payer and the payee to concerned parties of the transaction; and a fifth step of transferring a deposit from the payer's bank account to a payee's bank account through a financial network.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2001/0039522, which was authored by Saxon, describes an automated ordering system including a central station and numerous subscriber stations, including customer and vendor stations, whose sales transactions are regulated by the central station. A communication link, such as the Internet, permits each station to transmit and receive requisitions, purchase orders, and invoices to and from the central station. Each remote station uses its own internal item identification codes, preferably general ledger account codes, to identify products to be purchased or sold. The central station maintains a database identifying the codes used by each subscriber station and relating different codes used by other subscribing stations to identify similar products. A customer may transmit to the central station a requisition for a product identified with the customer accounting code and specifying a particular vendor. Using its database, the central station composes a purchase order addressed to the specified vendor and identifying the required product with the vendor's code. The central station monitors the entire transaction, ultimately to the parties to a transaction, accounting data in the form of ledger entries that can be immediately incorporated into their respect accounting systems. In a similar manner, the ordering system can identify vendors who supply a product desired by a customer, and automatically transmit requests for quotation to the vendors.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0038259, which was authored by Bergman et al., teaches a method and system for ordering and selling products at a venue. The invention provides a first wireless communications device associated with an attendee operable to generate an order. The order information from the attendee is communicated from the first communications device to a server. The server is queried by vendor workstations at a venue. Orders are then displayed at the vendor workstations and fulfilled by vendors who deliver ordered items to the attendee at the attendee location.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0049644, which was authored by Kargmann, teaches a system for the convenient and automated execution of a commercial transaction from a wired or wireless customer device, such as a cellular telephone. A transaction code is transmitted by the customer device to initiate the transaction. The customer device can be automatically populated with preconfigured codes for the initiation of various transactions. Advertising and other promotional materials can also be conveyed to the customer device.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0184109, which was authored by Hayet et al., teaches a method of efficient ordering of goods comprising the following steps: (a) a client interacts with an electronic shopping system to indicate his willingness to place an order, whereby said interaction optionally involves the addition of further background information to the system and/or the addition of order specific information to the system; (b) the electronic shopping system produces a suggestion of the shopping list for said client based on (1) information concerning goods which are available for ordering, their prices and optionally further information relating to said goods; and (2) information concerning the historic purchasing behavior of said client; and optionally (3) background information of said client; and optionally (4) environmental information; and (c) said client reviews said suggestion of the shopping list and optionally amends said list followed by placing the order.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0187774, which was authored by Ritter et al, teaches a method with which a mobile user in a mobile network can order products, with the following steps: recording an image corresponding to the product to be ordered, linking the image data with a personal identification of the mobile user, transmitting the linked order message to a server in said mobile radio network, comparing said image data with images stored in a product database, each of said image in said database being linked with an identification of the product provider, sending a message containing an identification of the ordered product and of the ordering mobile user to said product provider.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0198790, which is authored by Paulo et al., teaches a system and method of ordering goods or services including receiving a request for the goods or services from a user by way of a device and accessing a database having information relevant to the user and preferences, such as favorites, related to the goods or services. Then forwarding an order for the goods or services to a provider, either a store as selected or a central server for selection of a store, of the goods or services where the order is dependent on the information and receiving a reply such as an acknowledgment regarding the order from the provider. A response may then be formulated concerning the order and the reply, the response preferably dependent on capabilities of the device; and sending the response to the device using instant messaging, short messaging services or WAP messaging techniques.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0104804, which was authored by Iwata, teaches an apparatus for ordering goods or services which are advertised or promoted on a broadcast medium, such as a radio station. The apparatus includes a client terminal which may be mounted in a vehicle such as an automobile. The client terminal includes a radio transmitter for transmitting information to a service center. The client terminal also includes a push button for activation to place an order for merchandise. The signal includes the vehicle location, terminal identification, date and the frequency of the radio receiver. The service center utilizes this information to learn the identity of the merchandise being promoted and the merchant offering the merchandise. The service center then orders the merchandise for delivery to the client.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0151495, which was authored by Ludvisen, teaches an order system where the user approaches the terminal unit (1) of the service provider. To order the service, the user calls the service providers terminal unit with the mobile communication apparatus. The terminal unit registers the identification code and transmits information and conditions related to the service to the user's mobile communication apparatus, where this information is shown on a display (14). To accept the service and the service conditions, the user indicates the acceptance of the service conditions which is transmitted (5) to the terminal unit, after which the connection between the mobile communication unit and the terminal unit is terminated. The terminal unit transmits (6), for example via a telephone line, the received data to the host computer (7) where the data are controlled in connection with the service. The control may include a check, whether the user has credit enough for payment of the order. After the control, the terminal unit receives (8) indications from the host computer (7) whether to accept the data from the user for providing the service. Acceptance may be indicated by a signal (9) at the terminal unit, for example by an audio-visual indication, after which the service is provided.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0156346, which was authored by Kulakowski, teaches a method of ordering goods and services. The customer initiates the connection to the system of ordering goods and services, unequivocally related to the received transmission and during the connection the customer orders goods or services offered by the system of ordering goods and services, which refer to the transmission. Preferably, the system of ordering goods and services is available for the whole duration of the transmission, being always available in the same manner, dynamically changing the offer of goods and services depending on the transmission, and in case of lack of the offer suitably informing the customer during the connection or optionally not servicing this connection at all.
United States Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0218040, which was authored by Sabapathypillai, teaches a method of taking a food/beverage order at a food/beverage establishment includes receiving a menu selection from a customer mobile terminal in the food/beverage establishment at a dedicated restaurant transceiver over a wireless data connection. The menu selection designates at least one food/beverage item. The menu selection may be received responsive to transmitting food/beverage menu content from the dedicated restaurant transceiver to the mobile terminal. Also, a method of ordering food/beverage items at a food/beverage establishment includes transmitting a menu selection designating at least one food/beverage item from a customer mobile terminal in the food/beverage establishment to a dedicated restaurant transceiver over a wireless data connection. The menu selection may be transmitted responsive to receiving food/beverage menu content from the dedicated restaurant transceiver. Related devices and computer program products are also discussed.
From a consideration of the foregoing disclosures, it may be seen that the prior art does not teach a system for deploying currently available technologies in a different manner to allow consumers the ability to remotely transmit order or communication data to a merchant or vendor via a pre-loaded personal transmitter to reduce time and efforts associated with doing business with that vendor. The prior art thus perceives a need for such a system and method for transacting a sale.